This invention relates to a foldable blade knife wherein the blade pivots laterally with respect to the handle from its open position into an opening formed in the handle.
Foldable blade knives are usually constructed with a slotted handle and a blade foldable in its own plane with respect to the handle so that its cutting edge enters the handle slot first, and its dull back portion protrudes from the slot so that the person handling the knife can usually grasp the protruding back of the blade and pull it out of the slot to open the knife. These prior art knives are highly suitable to be carried by a person in his pocket since the handle functions as a shield with respect to the cutting edge and point of the blade, but knives of this type are not able to withstand the forces that can be withstood by a rigid blade knife, such as the typical hunter's knife. The pivot pin and leaf spring of the conventional folding blade knife are subject to deterioration and wear, and the blade of a foldable blade knife usually becomes loose after extended rugged use.
One of the problems encountered with the typical folding blade pocket knife is that the blade travels in the direction of its edge when it is being folded closed, and when a person using the knife exerts pressure on the back of the blade in a cutting operation, the blade is likely to fold and possibly cut the hand of ther user. Also, the typical folding blade knife includes not only the blade but two handles, two liners, two bolsters, a leaf spring, a blade pin, a pin at the pommel, and possibly four or more pins which hold the handle elements together. This complicated assembly requires expensive materials and a substantial amount of labor expense to assemble the knife, and once the knife has been assembled, the handle of the knife usually weighs substantially more than its blade. As the blade is sharpened over a period of use, the blade edge diminishes toward the back of the blade, so that the point of the blade is likely to emerge from the slot of the handle when the blade is closed into the handle, causing the person carrying the knife some hazard in handling the knife.
While the prior art suggests various side folding knife designs which do not include the problems listed above, one of the problems in previous side folding knives is the inadvertent folding of the blade with respect to the handle when the knife is used. This is most likely to occur when a lateral force is being applied to the blade, as when the blade was being used in a scrapping or prying action.